Looking for some interesting employee recognition statistics? In this article, you’ll find some workplace recognition statistics and best practices. Read it now!
Think about the last time you put your heart and soul into a project or task and nailed the execution. That feeling of accomplishment is motivating, but it’s multiplied exponentially when you get appreciation from others. The simple act of recognizing achievement is a major boost for employee engagement and performance.
We’re all familiar with the benefits of employee recognition. When employees feel appreciated, they’re more motivated, engaged, and likely to go the extra mile for their company.
In this article, we’ll talk: 💪
- Benefits of employee recognition
- Types of employee recognition
- And, employee appreciation statistics
Let’s get started:
🤓 Benefits of Employee Recognition
Despite knowing its impact on employees and business success, some organizations still completely avoid employee recognition. 🤔
Employee appreciation is a fundamental human need. When employees feel appreciated for their hard work and contributions, they will be more connected to their job, their peers, and your organization as a whole. 🙂
✅ Here are some benefits of employee recognition:
- Increase productivity and engagement
- Reduce employee turnover rate
- Employee satisfaction, loyalty, and fun at work
- Improved team culture
- Higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers
- Increased retention of top performers
- Decreased stress and absenteeism
“I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess… If I like anything, I am hearty in my appreciation and lavish in my praise.” – Sam Walton, founder of Walmart
📝 Types of Employee Recognition
➡️ Here are different types of recognition and appreciation that mean the most to your employees:
Recognition from Superior
Receiving positive feedback from a manager or senior leader validates good work. In addition, it increases job security and opportunities for a promotion or pay raise.
Peer Recognition
Team members spend most of their time with each other. It feels good to get appreciation from a coworker, even from someone lower on the org hierarchy. Regardless of where it comes from, recognition feels good.
Social and Private Recognition
Not all employees prefer recognition the same way. Some crave the spotlight; others avoid it and would prefer subtle praise. Therefore, you must tailor your recognition to each individual’s personality. preferences
Company Values and Achievements
Recognition is often linked to metrics, such as achieving a sales goal or staying with an organization for ten years.
But appreciation can also be lauded for living your company values like going above and beyond to help a coworker, or successfully organizing a webinar.
Bonus Programs
If your company can afford to pay employees a bonus, follow an employee bonus program to show you value individuals’ ongoing dedication and contributions. 🎯
📊 50 Employee Recognition Statistics for 2023
We use a lot of data and research in our posts, so we thought we must compile together a resource with the best and most fantastic workplace recognition statistics. And we hope that it’d be helpful to you—because honestly, it’s helpful for us to have everything in one place, too! 😂
This HUGE list of statistics is broken up into 11 recognition-related topics. So let’s dive into these interesting and informative statistics!
Our designers at Springworks created this infographic on employee recognition stats here:
Employee Recognition Statistics Related To Retention
🧐 Why people are leaving your company? How to win them over?
1. Employees whose managers consistently acknowledge them for good work are 5x more likely to stay at the company. (Source)
2. Employee recognition programs can reduce the turnover rate by up to 31%. (Source)
3. 73% of employees that are planning to leave said they would remain if offered more recognition. (Source)
4. 91% of HR workers agree that recognition and reward positively affect employee retention. (Source)
5. LinkedIn indicates that seven out of 10 employees who received a promotion remained with that employer three years later. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
If employees are heading for the exits, try tying recognition programs to your organization’s values. Be sure to recognize their hard work!
➡️ Check out 21 Key Employee Retention Statistics For 2022
Employee Appreciation Statistics Related To Performance
🧐 Are you finding it challenging to motivate employees and improve their performance?
6. 56% of respondents say their organization has achieved positive ROI from its investment in employee engagement. (Source)
7. Well-designed rewards and recognition programs can drive an 11.1% increase in average employee performance. (Source)
8. According to Cicero, 69% of employees would work harder if they felt their efforts were better appreciated. (Source)
9. Employee engagement, productivity, and performance are 14 percent higher than in organizations without recognition. (Source)
10. 84% of highly engaged employees were recognized the last time they went above and beyond at work compared to only 25% of actively disengaged employees. (Source)
11. 90% of employees who work in organizations with effective rewards programs say that, “My work makes a difference.” (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
Constructive feedback helps employees feel more valued and recognized throughout the year. Design a structure and culture within teams that can help lead your team to prosper.
➡️ Check Out A Manager’s Guide to Giving Proper Employee Performance Reviews
Recognition Stats: Core Company Values
🧐 How important are company values?
12. 83% of HR Leaders say an employee recognition program benefits organizational values. (Source)
13. 52% of employees feel that their recognition program isn’t aligned to organizational goals. (Source)
14. Employees who feel recognized at work are 2.2x more likely to say innovative thinking is embraced. (Source)
15. Just 32% of HR leaders said their company has a recognition program that includes a D&I component. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
Having a clear set of values helps your employees understand what you stand for and help them achieve their goals. Successful companies design recognition programs that are aligned with their core values.
➡️ Learn How to Create Company Values
Employee Recognition Programs Statistics
🧐 What are the objectives of your recognition program?
16. 87% of recognition programs focus on tenure. (Source)
17. US organizations spend over $100 billion annually on incentive programs. (Source)
18. 37% of organizations agree that their rewards programs consider multiple generations in the workforce. (Source)
19. 79% of HR employees surveyed said they would be likely to invest in recognition and reward programs within the next year. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
You can implement a formal, but more fun, recognition program in which employees can nominate, be nominated, recognize and reward each other using a point system and gamification.
➡️ Check out Employee Recognition Program: The Complete Guide
Employee Rewards and Bonus Statistics
🧐 What are the preferences of your employees?
20. 35% of workers say they’ll quit if they don’t receive a pay raise. (Source)
21. A survey found that 47% of employees want to receive a personalized reward spontaneously. (Source)
22. 44% of respondents prefer gift cards as rewards. 41% prefer a paid trip with peers. (Source)
23. The rewards most beloved by workers include annual leave (43%), public recognition (15%), and team drinks (15%).
24. 57% of employees said they would opt for recognition in the form of a cash bonus or raise. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
Offer points-based reward systems like EngageWith where employees can redeem these points in form of gift cards or any other monetary value.
➡️ Check out how our employee recognition platform makes the act of recognizing your workforce easier
Statistics Related To Employee Recognition Tools
🧐 Are you providing the necessary tools required to recognize employees?
25. Only 22% of managers strongly agree that their company provides them with the tools and understanding on how to recognize colleagues effectively. (Source)
26. Only 16% of companies leverage technology to track employee experience and engagement. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
Providing recognition tools can make it easier for your staff to recognize each other in real-time.
➡️ Check out 23 Best Employee Engagement Apps
➡️ Comparison chart of the best employee recognition tools here: Comparing Bonusly Pricing and Features: Here are the Top 4 Alternatives
Peer-To-Peer Recognition Statistics
🧐 Why should you build a strong culture of peer recognition?
27. Peer-to-peer recognition is 35.7% more likely to have a positive impact on financial results than manager-only recognition. (Source)
28. 4 in 10 respondents (41%) want more recognition from their immediate coworkers. (Source)
29. 57% of HR professionals reported that introducing peer-to-peer recognition programs increased the levels of employee engagement. (Source)
30. Organizations using strategic peer recognition programs are 48% more likely to report high staff engagement. (Source)
31. One survey found that peer-to-peer recognition made 90% of staff more satisfied with their work. (Survey)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
Encourage your staff to explain what their peers did in detail. Be specific when describing the desired behavior and personalize their appreciation message.
➡️ Check out Peer to Peer Recognition at the Workplace
Recognition From Managers and Leaders
🧐 Does your leadership regularly acknowledge and appreciate your employees’ contributions?
32. 46% of senior managers view recognition programs as an investment rather than an expense. (Source)
33. 52.5% of employees want more recognition from their immediate manager. (Source)
34. 28% of the most memorable recognition comes from an employee’s manager. (Source)
35. Nearly 90 percent of employees who received recognition or thanks from their boss in the past month indicated higher trust levels in that boss. (Source)
36. 85% of employees believe that management should recognize a job well done whenever it occurs. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
Ask your senior managers to practice recognition more. It can yield a positive impression on an employee.
➡️ Check out Employee Rewards and Recognition Ideas
Recognition Statistics Related to Workplace Motivation
🧐 Why is employee motivation so important?
37. Over seven in 10 employees want their employers to do more to motivate them.
38. Seventy-nine percent said that an increase in recognition rewards would make them more loyal to their employer. (Source)
39. 70% of employees said that motivation and morale would improve with appreciation from managers. (Source)
40. When companies spend 1% or more of payroll on recognition, 85% notice a positive impact on engagement. (Source)
41. Organizations with recognition programs in place experience 28.6% lower frustration levels than those without. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
Make everyone feel that they are working in the best place they can be. Offering employee benefits and perks helps to boost the mood and sense of loyalty to the company.
➡️ Check out 60+ Short Motivational Quotes to Inspire your Employees
Remote Workers Recognition Statistics
🧐 Are you taking care of your remote employees?
42. Almost 47% of remote workers said they had been frustrated by their efforts not being recognized. (Source)
43. In one report, 44% of remote employees surveyed said that when they have a simple tool to celebrate their colleagues, they will provide peer recognition on an ongoing basis. (Source)
44. Remote employees are 16% less likely to agree that their manager involves them in the goal-setting process. (Source)
💡 Actionable takeaway:
You can recognize your employees on social media. Getting recognized in social media will give them a larger platform to flaunt their hard-earned achievements.
➡️ Learn 10 Proven Ways to Build Engaged Remote Work Culture
General Statistics on Employee Recognition
45. According to a study, 37% of employees consider recognition is must. (Source)
46. 92% of workers are more likely to repeat a specific action after receiving recognition for it. (Source)
47. Recognition for work is one of the top drivers of candidate attraction. (Source)
48. Doubling the number of employees who receive weekly recognition decreases absenteeism by 27%. (Source)
49. More than 40% of employed Americans feel that they would put more energy into their work if they were recognized more often. (Source)
50. Just one out of five employees strongly agree their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. (Source)
🎁 Make Employee Recognition a Priority!
Employee recognition is a pillar of employee engagement and its impact on a company’s bottom-line and employee wellbeing, it’s crucial to build the habit of appreciating your staff. For a turn-key recognition platform, we invite you to take a tour of EngageWith. 👇
Want to learn more about employee recognition and rewards? Here’s a good place to start:
Do you believe in the importance of employee recognition? Are you ready to reap the benefits? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below
